About Nick Neely

On his way down the stairs of his parents' home, Nick Neely saw the reflection of his feet in a window, and grabbed his camera. His photograph was a self-portrait assignment for his first-ever photography class.

Click on photo for larger image.

A junior at Crystal Springs Uplands High School in Hillsborough, he photographed the distinctly reflected leaves of a bougainvillea on the floor of the patio reflected in the severe lighting the window. The ethereal image of his feet was not manipulated in any way, he said, but was a result of distinct observation.

He used a Nikon N 70 camera and Kodak Tri-X 400 film to capture his black-and-white images. Aspiring to be a biologist, he is very interested in nature photography. He has been taking photographs for a long time, he said.

"I wanted to enter the Weekly's photo contest last year, but didn't. This year, I was a little intimidated entering an adult competition, but it worked out," he said.

-- Sue Dremann